Chances are you are reading it because you know how important hiring right is to grow a business.
If you are a founder you’ll get good at hiring with practice.
If you want to get good at it, do it often.
And, the best way to know if a prospective hire is good, work with them first.
How to do it?
For all those, you shortlist, set up a paid trial, and get them to do what they will be doing if they go full-time with you.
The trick is to not call it a trial because it won’t give the prospective hire confidence.
Call it something.
Give it a name – a fellowship or whatever brandable name you can think of.
Why? Because fellowship sounds better than trial. Doesn’t it?
Make it worth the other person’s time, by offering decent money and an awesome experience. To make the trial experience awesome, spend time designing it well by thinking ‘what is in it for them’.
Why does a trial work?
Because the best way to find out if you should work with someone is to work with them.
Once you get a person started on trial, the time comes to assess if they will be a good fit.
For this:
- Look for attitude, are they immediately awesome?
- Look for integrity, do they do what they said they’d do?
- Look at speed, do they turn in work at last time, or early?
- Look at energy levels, this is linked to the one above? Are they complaining of lack of focus, or asking for more time to do simple tasks?
- Look at professionalism and communication, do you have to follow up on how the work is going, or do they keep you posted on how things are going?
All these are important. Energy and integrity should be your non-negotiables.
It’s ok if you don’t have all the skills for the job you are hiring for. 70% is good enough.
If they click on the above, make an offer and hire those who accept.
Once they are in,
Look for the following seven things.
- Do they explore work outside their assigned area and comfort zone?
- Do they offer to take things off your plate without being asked?
- Do they readily admit and accept their mistakes?
- Do they learn fast?
- Do they use the voice, ask a lot of questions at the cost of sounding dumb?
- Do they ask for help and frame it so that they are asking something specific?
- Do they help others?
If you get a yes on most you have made a good hire and chances are that most of those you choose after the trial will tick on all these.